Iraq's monthly death toll at highest level since 2008: UN statement

BAGHDAD, May 2 (Xinhua) -- The death toll among Iraqis from violence in April hit its highest level since 2008, with 712 people killed in violence across the country, the United Nations said Thursday.

"The month of April was the deadliest since June 2008. A total of 712 people were killed and another 1,633 were wounded in acts of terrorism and acts of violence," a statement from the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq said.

"Baghdad was the worst affected governorate with a total of 697 civilian casualties (211 killed, 486 injured), followed by Diyala, Salahuddin, Kirkuk, Ninewa and Anbar," the UN mission in Iraq said in the statement issued on its website.

The deadliest wave of violence in the month was on April 23 when Iraqi security forces backed by helicopters stormed an anti- government Sunni protest in the city of Hawijah, some 220 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

The military operation against the sit-in camp in Hawijah sparked further clashes across the country's predominantly Sunni provinces between the Sunni tribes and the security forces.

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